Monday, December 6, 2010

Ruby is one of the most significant of the colored stones. We find that they are mentioned in the bible and associated with beauty and wisdom. In the Sanskrit language ruby is called ranaraj which is King of the precious stones. Ruby is from the gem species corundum. Ruby is the most valuable of the corundum and they get the highest price per carat of any colored stone on the market. Rubies are also very popular and much of that is due to their hardness. Ruby rates 9 on the Mohs scale. Because of this rubies are perfect for frequently warn jewelry.

Color- Color is the factor that most affects a rubies value. The color of a ruby ranges from orangy red to purplish red. The best rubies have a vibrant, pure red to slightly purplish red. Medium to medium-dark tones are the most preferred as long they don’t get dark enough to have a negative effect on the brilliance. The opposite is if a stone has too light of a tone it becomes a pink sapphire.

There are many trade terms used to describe rubies. The problem is that these terms can be misleading as to the origin of the stone. It is very difficult to tell the origin of a stone. When you hear the term Burmese ruby it refers to rubies from what is now Myanmar. The term Burmese color has been used to describe the finest-quality stones no matter what the origin of the stone is. These rubies will have a red to slightly purplish color.

It is rare to find fine quality rubies that are over one carat and rare. You can find commercial quality rubies in these sizes . Almost all rubies today are heat-treated. This is done to help develop the color or even intensify it. Sometimes it can help the clarity by removing or making the inclusions look less visible. The jewelry trade accepts that heat treatments to enhance the color of a ruby. You should assume that a ruby is heat-treated unless you have evident that it has not been.

Friday, October 8, 2010

Needle- A long thin inclusion that can be solid crystal or hollow tube and it might be filled with liquid or gas.

Silk-Groups of fine needle inclusions. This type of inclusion can create very attractive stones. An example of this is a star stones and cats eye stones.

Fingerprint- This type of inclusions is exactly as its name sounds. It forms a pattern that often resembles a fingerprint. Also they are like a fingerprint in that no two are ever the same. They are actually a partially healed fracture plane. Droplets of fluid were trapped in the crystal before it stopped growing.

Feather-This is the general term for a break in a stone. The term includes any separation or break in a stone. It includes cleavages, parting and fractures if they have not been healed by the natural process. This can be a serious inclusion as it can affect the durability of the stone. If the feather is large this really becomes an issue.

Monday, October 4, 2010

Included crystal-A mineral crystal that is trapped within a gem while it is growing. This crystal can be the same crystal as the gem it is trapped inside. It can also be many shapes such as angular or rounded. It can also be different colors, light, dark, transparent or opaque.

Negative Crystal- This is a space that might have liquid, gas or both inside a gemstone. It resembles a mineral inclusion but does not have the mineral. You see these in the beryl gemstone like an emerald.

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Are you starting to shop for the holidays. Stay tuned for a series of articles about gemstones

There are five factors that affect the marketability of a gemstone

Nature,

Size

Number

Position

Relief

The first thing you should consider is the nature of the inclusion. Think about how much the particular inclusion will affect or even threaten the stones durability. A large feather in a soft stone is much more important than a fingerprint in a hard stone. Next you want to think about size. A large single inclusion is often more important than if a stone had many small inclusions. The number of inclusions is important but may not always be negative. However, in large numbers small inclusions can reduce clarity, reduce brilliance and therefore reduce value. The position of the inclusions within a gem matter as well. Brilliant cuts will conceal inclusions better than step cuts. Also inclusions are easier to see under the table face than under a crown facet. The last thing to think of is relief and this is an important one. It is how noticeable the inclusion is against the color of the gemstone. An inclusion where the color is a contrast or darker than the gem is going to be more visible than one that is large but colorless. If the inclusion is very noticeable in the gemstone it can lower the value of the stone considerably.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

I just had the opening of my second solo Art Show. Doing a solo art show really tests how much art an artist can make and making art that works together as a cohesive show. Last year I did a show based on spiritual jewelry which is what I do . This year I collaborated with two fellow artists who do photography to do a garden themed show. All the jewelry was related to a garden or color as we did bring in the spiritual side of colors. I was very lucky and received a write up in today's local paper about the show. Online it doesn't show a picture but they used the piece above and below is the link to the article.

Monday, September 6, 2010

The color red is associated with the root chakra and taking a moment to focus on an everyday red object, such as a flower, will help to keep this chakra in tune. We can also use red crystals or gemstones, such as rubies and garnets, to work with the root chakra.

Saturday, September 4, 2010

The first chakra connects the spirit with the physical world. To find a spiritual balance in the root chakra, focus on connecting your body and soul with the earth. Begin by grounding yourself by standing tall with your eyes closed. Imagine roots growing from your feet and into the earth, grounding you with the land below you. Meditate quietly on being grounded while you visualize yourself becoming one with the earth.

Friday, August 27, 2010

Located at the base of the spine, the Muladhara, also known as the root or base chakra, helps us relate to life force energy and helps to ground us. “Muladhara” actually means “foundation,” which really tells a lot about this chakra.

This chakra is linked to survival instincts. When our energy flows easily through our first chakra, we feel that we can meet all our needs without worry. When it is blocked, we will start to worry and feel anxious.

The base chakra is what starts us on any new venture and motivation happens because of our base chakra. You will often hear the first chakra referred to as the “tribal chakra,” as it also relates to how we deal with our family or our “tribe.”

The root chakra governs the spinal column, kidneys, feet, legs and immune system, so a blocked chakra can cause physical problems in these areas. Exercises such as power squats and the yoga position known as "bridge" can help to keep the first chakra open and balanced. The warrior position is also very good for stabilizing your base chakra.

Friday, August 20, 2010

Located at the base of the spine, the Muladhara, also known as the root or base chakra, helps us relate to life force energy and helps to ground us. Muladhara actually means foundation which really tells a lot about this chakra. This chakra is linked to survival instincts. When our energy flows easily through our first chakra we feel that we can meet all our needs without worry. When it is blocked we will start to worry and feel anxious. The base chakra is what starts us on any new venture and motivation happens because of our base chakra. You will often hear the first chakra referred to as the tribal chakra as it also relates to how we deal with our family or our “tribe.”

Sunday, August 15, 2010

In Buddhism, meditation is often enhanced by meditation or singing bowls. As the name suggests, these instruments are bowls that produce a clear vibrant tone when played. The soft, continuous singing sound is produced by rubbing a mallet around the rim, much the same way a crystal goblet can be made to ring by rubbing a finger around its mouth.

The mallet can also be used to gently strike the side of the bowl to produce a ringing like that of a bell.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Meditation has other benefits. It is almost impossible to fully focus on two things at once and a mind that is completely absorbed in the feeling of each breathe, or in the vibrations of a chant cannot also be focused on its own troubles or unhappiness.

Meditation will not fix the cause of our problems but it can help us to adjust our own attitudes and responses. As Sri Swami Venkatesananda said, “A problem that is forgotten does not exist, unhappiness that is forgotten is happiness. It can come back again, but never mind.” A person who is unhappy all day but who takes 20 minutes to meditate and clear his mind will find that for those 20 minutes at least, his unhappiness is gone. “That is marvelous; the unhappiness was a mental state, nothing more than a mood.”

Monday, August 9, 2010

Meditation is the millennia-old practice of calming the mind through prayer, chanting, focused breathing or other means. Every religion has its own form of meditation---Catholics recite the rosary, Muslims pray toward the east five times each day and Hindus chant the word “om.” While the ways and means are different, the goal is the same – to relax and free the mind, opening our consciousness and bringing us closer to the divine.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

I feel very strongly that our life is all about energy. Have you ever walked in a room and you could feel something wasn’t right? Your boss calls and tells everyone to be there in the morning for a meeting. Everyone is gathered not sure, but worried. The room feels of worry. That is energy. The same goes for a baby’s first birthday party. Everyone is smiling and happy. People are laughing. If you walked in that room you would feel a joyful energy. Life is made up of energy. Chakras are energy. Energy is moved from the earth into our chakras. Like a plant that absorbs sunlight or water. It goes to the roots and then spreads the water and light through its limbs. This is what the energies of our chakras do. We all have chakras and they all are spinning. They are operating as a flow of energy. One of the things that I have most learned while studying the chakras is that I must have balance in my life. The Tree Posture in yoga is wonderful for helping with balance. To do this you will stand on both feet. Ground yourself and feel the earth. Wiggle your toes and have equal weight on your heels. Lift one leg up and either rest it on your ankle or above your knee (just never on the knee). I often put my hands in a prayer position in front but you can raise them over your head. At first you will wobble. Eventually your body will figure out what it needs to do to keep your tree from being windy. We need to be balanced in other aspects of our life. We need to let our mind and emotions figure out what they need to do to be in balance. We need to look at our reactions to things and decide if they are coming from a place of balance or imbalance. Are you simply reacting to something, or coming to the decision from a place from balance.

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Last night I attended an event for Alzheimers to raise money sponsored by the Alzheimer’s Association, National Capital Area Chapter in Virginia.

This group put on a truly wonderful event. My friend Tara invited me to go with her as she had been invited as a special guest. It was a wonderful evening full of music and a reminder of this disease and that we all need to do what we can to help the research continue. I lost my mother to this disease 2 years ago. In her honor I started a line of jewelry that I call the forget-me-nots. It is the official flower of the Alzheimer’s association. They are hand made out of pure silver. Each leaf is sculpted and the flower is created petal by petal. Then a sapphire is hand set in the center of each one. These are truly a labor of love and I think they can honor someone special.

In honor of my mother a percentage of all sales are donated to the Richmond Alzheimer association. To see our press release click on the link.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Om is a sacred syllable in the Hindu, Buddhist and Jain religions. The meaning of the symbol is complex and differs somewhat in each religion but it can be viewed simply as a representation that helps us to realize the divinity and the energy that run through the entire universe.

Indian spirituality holds that God first created sound and the rest of the world sprang from its frequencies. Om is the most sacred of all sounds – the syllable from which the gods were created and the syllable that existed before the universe. The syllable “om” is also said to be the cosmic vibration that holds together the atoms of the world and of the heavens.

In Hinduism, each of the curves of the om carries its own symbolism. The largest lower curve –the bottom half of the 3—symbolizes the state of wakefulness, where consciousness is turned outwards through the senses. This largest curve represents wakefulness because the majority of the human consciousness occurs while we are awake and aware. The upper curve – the top part of the 3 – denotes the unconscious state of deepest sleep; that without desires or dreams. The middle curve – the hook on the right – symbolizes the dream state where consciousness is turned inward and the world is viewed through the eyes of the dreamer.

Indian mystic thought holds that all of reality springs from these three states of consciousness. Therefore, the three curves of the Om represent out entire physical phenomenon.

The dot signifies the fourth state of consciousness, which looks neither outward, nor inward. This is the quiet, peaceful state of bliss that is the aim of spirituality. The semi-circle beneath the dot represents the maya, which separates the state of bliss from the three states of consciousness. The illusion of the maya keeps us from realizing the state of bliss but just as the semi-circle is open at the top and does not touch the dot, so the maya does not touch or affect the state of bliss; It merely seeks to block us from reaching the ultimate goal.

The Om is dualistic in nature. On one hand, focusing on the symbol and sound helps us to look beyond the reality before our eyes to seek instead the abstract and the unknowable. On the other hand, focusing on an Om also helps to make the abstract more knowable bringing us closer to the divine.

When we meditate, we chant the syllable “Om.” This deep sound resonates throughout the body, vibrating and attuning us to the cosmic vibrations of the universe and uniting us with the Divine. This helps our minds and souls to reach toward the untenable as we seek deeper truth.

No matter what our spiritual beliefs, the Om can help to bring us closer to the Divine as we understand it.

The Om is also a symbol of spiritual perfection and wearing an Om helps us to focus on the divinity and light that are in ourselves and also in everyone we meet.

About Me

I have always had a passion for jewelry, it was there as I grew up. I studied design at the Art Institute but found upon graduation that I was drawn to a career in Jewelry. When I shop I always stop to look at the gemstones and see how things are made and enjoy another artist’s take on making jewelry. I find that gemstones just call my name and on a day when I need to feel better I can work with my gemstones and find that I have forgotten what it is that was bothering me. Come and hang out with me as I work towards my graduate gemologist certification. I welcome conversation on your feelings about the stones as well as the market in general. I enjoy conversations on both the metaphysical side as well as the pure gemological side.
Namaste
Linda